Top 8 open-source Zapier alternatives for workflow automation

Looking for an open-source Zapier alternative? You’re not alone!

While Zapier has been a go-to tool for automating workflows, its limitations — especially around costs, flexibility, and privacy — can be a dealbreaker for many teams.

Whether you're scaling, seeking deeper customizations, or wanting more control over your data, switching to an open-source automation tool might be the ideal solution for you.

In this guide, we’ll discuss what open-source Zapier alternatives offer and how to choose the right one for your team.

Ready? Let’s dive in!

Why an open-source alternative to Zapier?

Zapier has certainly made automation accessible, but it's not without its drawbacks, especially when you consider the proprietary nature of the platform.

So, let’s break down a few key areas where Zapier may fall short and why open-source options are becoming more attractive.

Scaling and costs

Zapier’s free and lower-tier plans come with tight limits on tasks and usage. For businesses needing large-scale automation, Zapier Enterprise does offer more scalability, but at a steep price. Open-source tools, on the other hand, can often scale more affordably, letting you grow without incurring sky-high costs.

Lack of flexibility

While Zapier integrates with thousands of apps, you’re often bound to their pre-built nodes, which limits deeper customizations. Open-source alternatives, instead, offer flexibility, allowing you to create custom nodes, modify the platform itself, and even integrate with services not directly supported by Zapier.

Privacy and security

Zapier is cloud-based and handles data privacy with GDPR compliance and secure storage, but for businesses with stringent data control needs, this may not be enough. Self-hosted, open-source alternatives, in fact, give you full control over where and how your data is managed.

Community and support

Open-source projects benefit from contributions by a community of developers, which can lead to rapid improvements and a broader range of features.

Transparent development

Issues and development progress are often public, allowing you to see how problems are addressed and features are added.

8 best open-source Zapier alternatives

Here are your 8 open-source automation tools that could be the best Zapier alternatives – with a breakdown of each tool's unique features (a feature that Zapier does not have), best use case, and pros and cons.

n8n

Best for:

• Customization and complex workflow: n8n offers a highly customizable workflow automation platform with a visual editor that allows engineers to design complex workflows involving conditional logic, loops, branching, and integration with a lot of third parties.

n8n is a source-available workflow automation tool that offers engineers a flexible platform for building complex workflows. With access to the source code for customization and the ability to self-host, n8n strikes a balance between open flexibility and proprietary reliability, which is ideal for teams looking for advanced automation capabilities.

Unique feature:

• Powerful HTTP request node: n8n's HTTP Request node allows users to connect to any web service or API, even if there's no pre-built integration available. This means you can interact with virtually any RESTful API, making n8n extremely versatile and allowing for custom integrations that aren't possible with Zapier's standard connectors. This flexibility empowers users to build workflows that precisely fit their unique needs.

Pros:

• Extensive integrations: Supports numerous built-in nodes for various services and APIs, facilitating easy connections between different systems.
• Custom code capability: Allows embedding custom JavaScript code within workflows for advanced data manipulation and logic.
• Git-based version control: n8n's built-in Git integration allows users to manage workflow versions seamlessly, providing the ability to roll back changes or switch environments. Unlike Zapier, which lacks native version control, n8n's Git-based system empowers engineers to maintain a structured and secure development workflow.

Cons:

• Steep learning curve: The multitude of features and flexibility can be overwhelming for beginners;
• Resource intensive: Can be resource-intensive for large workflows.

Activepieces

Best for:

• Usability for beginners: Activepieces offers a no-code platform that focuses on simplicity and ease of use. Its interface is clean, intuitive, and designed for users to automate workflows without needing deep technical knowledge.

Activepieces is an open-source automation tool designed to simplify workflow automation for teams and developers.

Aimed at small to medium-sized businesses and those looking for cost-effective alternatives to tools like Zapier, Activepieces shines in its simplicity as it integrates with popular services like Google Sheets, Slack, Twitter, and more, making it versatile for automating everyday tasks. For teams with more complex needs, it supports custom workflows with HTTP requests and webhooks.

The platform is lightweight, easy to self-host, and built to scale with your projects, offering a balance between ease of use and extensibility.

Unique feature:

• Auto retry: Activepieces offers features like automatic retries for failed tasks, ensuring reliability and easy rollbacks when needed. In contrast, Zapier lacks such control, making Activepieces a stronger option for users who value robust workflow management and reliability.

Pros:

• Intuitive interface: Features an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor, simplifying workflow creation;
• Cost-effective: Provides powerful automation capabilities without the need for costly subscriptions.

Cons:

• Limited integrations: Offers a smaller set of integrations compared to more established competitors;
• Limited flexibility: Limited options for adding custom code or complex logic within workflows.

Node-RED

Best for:

• IoT and hardware device integration: Node-RED excels in connecting hardware devices, IoT systems, and APIs. Its browser-based flow editor is ideal for wiring together various devices and services, making it a go-to tool for IoT applications.

Node-RED is an open-source flow-based development tool designed to connect devices, APIs, and online services in an intuitive, visual way.

Primarily aimed at developers working with IoT, event-driven architectures, or API orchestration, Node-RED’s is particularly versatille, as its drag-and-drop interface is easy for beginners; yet, it offers plenty of room for seasoned developers to dive into custom Node.js code when necessary.

Also, the software’s extensive library of nodes includes integrations with cloud services, hardware devices, and APIs, enabling complex automation scenarios without writing everything from scratch.

Unique feature:

• Multiplayer mode: A standout in Node-RED is its multiplayer mode, which allows multiple users to collaborate in real-time within the flow editor. Teams can work together on the same workflow, seeing changes as they happen. In contrast, Zapier lacks this real-time collaboration feature, making Node-RED particularly valuable for teams who need to co-develop automation solutions simultaneously.

Pros:

• Strong IoT focus: Specifically designed for integrating hardware devices and IoT platforms;
• Extensibility: Built on Node.js, allowing for the creation of custom nodes and extensions.

Cons:

• Requires technical knowledge: May not be suitable for non-technical users due to its complexity;
• Business integration limitations: Fewer out-of-the-box integrations with business applications.

Automatisch

Best for:

• Essential automation for non-technical users: its clean and minimalistic interface allows users with minimal technical expertise to set up and manage workflows quickly, without the complexity of more advanced platforms.

Automatisch is an open-source automation tool that enables teams to build workflows, and connect apps and services.

It's designed to help teams automate routine tasks efficiently using a no-code/low-code interface, making it accessible for those who want simplicity, but also flexible enough for custom extensions.

It provides a great balance between simplicity and customization, making it an attractive Zapier alternative.

Unique feature:

• Advanced filters and formatters: Automatisch provides built-in filters and data formatters that allow for more detailed data manipulation in workflows, which can help reduce the number of external steps compared to Zapier’s basic tools.

Pros:

• User-friendly interface: Designed with simplicity in mind, making it accessible to non-technical users;
• Quick setup: The easy installation process allows users to start automating tasks promptly.

Cons:

• Less polished UI: The interface, while functional, may feel less refined compared to major automation tools;
• Limited integrations: Offers fewer integrations compared to bigger players.

Huginn

Best for:

• Self-hosted web monitoring: Huginn is ideal for users and developers who need to automate the monitoring of websites, APIs, and data feeds. It's perfect for creating custom agents to handle tasks like web scraping within a self-hosted, privacy-focused environment.

Huginn is an open-source system for building agents that automate tasks by monitoring events, scraping data, and taking predefined actions.

Built for developers, Huginn offers a high degree of customization, allowing you to create workflows that respond to changes in online services or internal systems.

Designed for self-hosting, Huginn gives developers full control over their data and workflows, making it a great alternative to proprietary automation tools.

Unique feature:

• Web scraping: Huginn has powerful web scraping capabilities, allowing users to extract data from websites and use it in workflows. In contrast, Zapier lacks native web scraping support, making Huginn a more flexible choice for tasks requiring data extraction from the web.

Pros:

• Custom agent creation: Allows for the development of specialized agents to perform specific tasks.;
• Event-driven workflows: Supports intricate event handling and scheduling mechanisms.

Cons:

• Complex setup: Requires programming knowledge and can be challenging to configure;
• Outdated interface: The user interface is less modern and can be less intuitive.

Apache NiFi

Best for:

• Enterprise-grade data flow management: Apache NiFi is designed for large-scale, enterprise-level data flow management. It excels in scenarios requiring robust data routing, transformation, and system mediation with a strong emphasis on security and data provenance.

Apache NiFi is an open-source data integration tool designed to automate the flow of data between systems.

Built to handle real-time data streams, NiFi excels at moving, transforming, and managing data at scale with ease. It provides a user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface that allows developers to design complex data workflows without writing code, but it's also powerful enough for advanced users to customize data flow behavior with scripting.

Unique feature:

• Clustering and scalability: NiFi supports clustering for horizontal scalability, with the ability to process massive data volumes in a distributed environment, something Zapier is not built for.

Pros:

• High throughput: Capable of handling significant data volumes efficiently;
• Data provenance tracking: Provides detailed tracking of data flow from source to destination.

Cons:

• Complex learning curve: Requires a deep understanding to configure and manage effectively;
• Resource demanding: Needs substantial system resources for optimal performance.

Apache Airflow

Best for:

• Scheduling and orchestrating complex data pipelines: Apache Airflow is ideal for engineers who need to programmatically author, schedule, and monitor complex workflows, particularly in data engineering and ETL processes.

Apache Airflow is an open-source platform designed for orchestrating complex workflows and data pipelines, particularly well-suited for managing ETLs, machine learning pipelines, and other tasks that require coordinating data across multiple systems.

Its modular architecture makes it easy to extend, and with a powerful UI, users can visualize and monitor their workflows in real-time.

Built for scalability, it’s used by teams handling data at various levels of complexity and volume.

Unique feature:

• Data provenance tracking: Airflow tracks the entire history and lineage of data within workflows, which is essential for auditability and compliance in data pipelines. This capability is crucial for maintaining auditability and compliance in complex data pipelines. In contrast, Zapier lacks detailed data tracking, making Airflow the better choice for teams that need robust monitoring and control over their data processes.

Pros:

• Code-based workflows: Uses Python for defining workflows, offering high flexibility;
• Powerful scheduling: Equipped with advanced scheduling capabilities suitable for complex pipelines.

Cons:

• Installation complexity: Can be challenging to set up and configure correctly;
• Batch-oriented: Less suited for real-time data processing compared to some alternatives.

Windmill

Best for:

• Rapid development of custom internal tools: Windmill is ideal for engineering teams looking to quickly build and deploy internal applications using familiar programming languages, all within a single platform.

Windmill is an open-source platform designed to simplify the creation of internal tools. Aimed at developers, it provides a seamless environment where you can write, deploy, and manage scripts in various programming languages.

With Windmill, you can build custom solutions that integrate with your existing systems, all while maintaining control over your infrastructure through self-hosting options.

Unique feature:

• Multi-language scripting with a code-first approach: Windmill allows developers to write workflows and automation scripts in multiple programming languages like Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Go, and more. This flexibility enables teams to leverage existing codebases and skills, streamlining the development of complex automations without being confined to a proprietary language or low-code environment.

Pros:

• Code flexibility: Supports multiple programming languages, allowing developers to use the best language for the task and integrate existing code easily.
• Quick deployment of internal tools: Streamlines the process of building and deploying internal applications, reducing development time and overhead.

Cons:

• Smaller ecosystem: As a newer tool, it may have fewer pre-built integrations and a smaller community compared to more established automation platforms.
• Learning curve: Advanced features and the multi-language environment may require time for developers to become fully proficient.

How to choose an open-source Zapier alternative?

Selecting the best open-source Zapier alternatives is important for optimizing your workflows and meeting your team's specific needs.

So, below we provide the key factors to consider, to help you make an informed decision.

Pricing models

Zapier's pricing can escalate quickly as your automation needs grow, with the Professional plan starting at $49/month for 2,000 tasks and the Team plan reaching up to $289/month for 50,000 tasks. Each action in a workflow counts as a task, rapidly consuming your task limit.

In contrast, n8n offers more predictable and scalable pricing models. Its self-hosted Community Edition is free, allowing unlimited workflows without additional costs. n8n's cloud hosting charges based on the number of workflow executions, not individual tasks, making it more cost-effective for complex automation.

Here’s a graph that summarizes pricing comparison among Zapier, n8n, and Make:

Although n8n is not an open-source tool, other open-source options also allow you to scale horizontally by adding more servers or resources as needed. Since you're not paying per task or step, you can create more complex workflows without worrying about escalating costs. This is especially beneficial for engineering teams that need to automate intricate processes without financial constraints.

Robust customization options

While Zapier offers thousands of pre-built integrations, you're often limited to the functionality they provide. Open-source alternatives, on the other hand, give you the freedom to create custom nodes and integrate with any API, providing unparalleled flexibility. For example, they often support advanced programming constructs such as:

• Conditional logic: You can implement if-else conditions to handle different scenarios. Tools like n8n, Node-RED, and Apache NiFi allow you to use conditional nodes to control the flow of your automation based on specific criteria.
• Loops: Process lists of items without creating separate workflows. n8n and Apache NiFi both provide looping mechanisms that enable you to iterate over data sets or lists, making repetitive tasks more manageable.
• Error handling: Define fallback actions or retries for failed steps. n8n, for example, offers built-in error-handling features that allow you to retry failed tasks or define alternative paths in case of errors.
• Custom code execution: Insert your own JavaScript, Python, or other scripts directly into the workflow. n8n, for example, allows users to write custom JavaScript code directly within the workflow. Node-RED also allows for custom coding, particularly for those familiar with Node.js, while Apache NiFi supports scripting through languages like Python.

This level of customization is often impossible with Zapier.

Security and data control

With self-hosted open-source solutions, you have the freedom to implement custom security protocols like:

• Encryption: Tools like Apache NiFi and Huginn allow you to use your own encryption standards for data at rest and in transit, ensuring that sensitive data is secure throughout the workflow.
• Access controls: Apache NiFi and n8n support integration with existing authentication systems like LDAP or OAuth, allowing you to enforce strict access control policies.
• Audit trails: Apache NiFi and Huginn provide detailed logging capabilities, enabling you to maintain comprehensive audit trails for compliance audits and data tracking.

For example, a financial institution might deploy n8n within its private cloud to automate internal processes, manage customer data, and ensure compliance with financial regulations.

This would not be possible with Zapier.

Community support and innovation

Open-source projects benefit from the contributions of developers worldwide. This collaborative environment leads to:

• Rapid feature development: New features and integrations are added regularly.
• Bug fixes: Issues are often identified and resolved quickly.
• Community plugins: A wealth of user-created nodes and extensions.

For example, the n8n community can contribute to the development of custom nodes, extending functionality to cover a wide range of applications beyond what Zapier can offer.

App integrations capabilities

While Zapier boasts over 3,000 pre-built integrations, open-source tools offer flexibility through:

• Custom nodes: You can create integrations with any service that has an API. n8n, Node-RED, and Apache NiFi excel in this area, providing highly customizable interfaces for building integrations that meet your exact requirements. You can create custom nodes, extend functionality, and even share these nodes with the community to enhance capabilities.
• HTTP requests: You can use generic HTTP nodes to interact with RESTful APIs. n8n leads the pack here with its HTTP Request node, allowing you to connect to any web service, even if there's no pre-built integration.

Self-hosting and deployment options

Self-hosting lets you choose where and how your automation tool runs. For example:

• On-premises servers: Ideal for maximum security and control.
• Cloud services: Deploy on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud for scalability.
• Hybrid models: Combine on-premises and cloud resources to balance control and convenience.

Tools like n8n and Node-RED offer flexible deployment options, allowing you to tailor the setup to your organization's requirements. You can use containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes for scalable deployments, ensuring your automation platform can handle increasing workloads.

Scalability and high availability

For organizations requiring high availability and the ability to handle large data volumes, scalability is key, and open-source tools can provide:

• Clustering: Tools like Apache NiFi and Apache Airflow support clustering for load balancing and failover.
• Containerization: You can utilize Docker and Kubernetes to manage scaling and ensure your automation tools remain responsive under heavy load.

Maintenance considerations

When opting for an open-source tool, remember that self-hosting means you're responsible for:

• Updates: Applying software updates and patches to keep the system secure.
• Monitoring: Implementing logging and monitoring to ensure system health.
• Backup and recovery: Setting up backup routines to prevent data loss.

Wrap Up

To recap, opting for an open-source Zapier alternative comes with some serious benefits:

• Affordability and scalability: Scale your automation without incurring high costs for additional tasks;
• Customization and flexibility: Build custom workflows tailored to your specific needs;
• Data control and privacy: Self-hosting ensures tighter control over your data.

Plus, with active community support, these tools evolve rapidly to stay aligned with user needs.

Among these options, n8n stands out for its robust feature set and flexibility. It offers a highly customizable platform with a visual editor, allowing you to design complex workflows involving conditional logic, loops, and integration with numerous services. With its powerful HTTP Request node, you can connect to any web service or API — even without pre-built integrations. n8n also supports custom code execution and Git-based version control, giving you full control over your automation processes.

What’s next?

If you're considering an open-source alternative to Zapier, exploring n8n is a great next step:

1. n8n Documentation: Explore comprehensive guides and detailed explanations of n8n's features and nodes.
2. n8n Community Forum: Join the vibrant community of n8n users to share tips, ask questions, and find solutions to common challenges. Visit the Community Forum.
3. n8n Workflow Examples: Browse through an extensive collection of example workflows to see n8n in action and get inspiration for your own automation projects. Check out the Workflow Examples.
4. n8n YouTube Channel: Watch tutorials, webinars, and feature deep dives to learn how to make the most out of n8n. Subscribe to the YouTube Channel.
5. n8n GitHub Repository: Access the source code, contribute to the project, and explore issues and pull requests. Visit the GitHub Repository.

By leveraging these resources, you can enhance your automation skills and fully utilize n8n's capabilities to streamline your workflows and achieve greater efficiency!